Ed-scape
by HeyNowNow
Summary: Jimmy was scammed by the Eds again and he needs time alone to recover until he gets lost and scared and needs some help. Jimmy/Jonny


**A 4 Year Anniversary present for my girlfriend, who loves Jimmy/Jonny and turned me into a believer as well!**

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Jimmy ran off crying, his money swindled and his pride hurt yet again by those mean older Ed boys. Sarah was growing bored in having to protect him from Eddy's rouses day in and day out and the other kids drew as much amusement from his suffering as the three who caused it. His only place of solace was the forest next to the cul de sac. Parts were scary and dark, but at least he could be left alone for a little while. He stopped running when he turned around and realized he couldn't see the neighborhood anymore, his bottom lip trembled but he went to sit beside a tree, knees drawn up as he took deep breaths in and out to relax himself.

As he sat, Jimmy poked at the hard dirt beside him and began drawing flowers and teddy bear faces. He smiled and giggled to himself, the distraction helping elevate his mood until he heard three familiar voices calling out his name.

"Why do we have to go looking for him?" Eddy grumbled as he kicked a pinecone on the ground.

"Because if we don't find him, Sarah's going to tell my mom I was being a bully and I'll get grounded!" Ed said, terror clear in his voice.

"Not only that, but we are the ones who upset him, it's our responsibility to help make things right," Double D said.

"How is it our responsibility that he can't take a joke?" Eddy asked.

As the three friends bickered, Jimmy stood and quickly made his way deeper into the forest, away from the path, where the trees were fuller and the air cooler and wetter because the sun rarely touched this part. He shivered and wrapped his tiny arms around himself, but the more he walked, the fainter the Eds' voices became until he couldn't hear them anymore. He didn't want to be found. Not yet, anyway. And if Sarah wanted him back so badly why did she have to send those three to pick him up? Jimmy was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the large tree barging his path and he walked into it.

"Oh!" he said to himself, and then turned around. All around him were trees, large, full trees, with branches so heavy with leaves that sunlight couldn't get through. Jimmy wasn't sure where he was, he had never been in this part of the forest before, and suddenly he grew very scared. He whimpered and made a dash in the direction he thought he had come from, screaming, "Help! Someone help me!" As he did so.

As he ran by trees he wasn't sure were familiar or not, he reprimanded himself for being so foolish and leaving the path. So what if the Eds found him? They were meanies but at least they meant safety. But out in the darkest part of the forest, Jimmy had no idea what was lurking inside it, and he was terrified. He kept running and running, hoping to reach the main path soon, thinking there was no way he had walked this far from it, when the root of a tree tripped him and he fell hard on the ground. His hands and knees were scraped and his sweater was covered in dirt and twigs. He sat up on his knees and looked at his bloodied hands and began to cry. He was cold and hurt and alone, He wanted someone to come help him. Anyone.

"Heya, Jimmy! Plank said he heard a distress call!" Jonny said, hanging off a branch from a tree with one hand and dropping in front of Jimmy. "What are you doing in this part of the forest? You're suppose to stick to the trail!"

"Jonny!" Jimmy scrambled towards him and threw himself around his waist and held on tight. "Is it really you? I thought I was going to die in here! It's so scary!"

Jonny looked down at Jimmy, his arms lifted, unsure of what to do. He turned to Plank, who he was holding with his right hand, and told him, "I know he's melodramatic, but we can't just leave him here!" He turned back to Jimmy. "You gotta remember you're an Urban Ranger, Jimmy! You can't get spooked so easily!"

Jimmy wasn't listening to Jonny, he had his face buried in Jonny's stomach and continued crying inconsolably. It was an incredibly long day, he just wanted to go home.

Jonny bit his lower lip, unsure of what to do, until he turned and saw Jimmy's bloodied hands. "Wowza! We gotta wash your hands!" He grabbed Jimmy's wrist and pulled him along until Jimmy had no choice but to stand and follow him, sniffling all the way.

"Where are we going?" Jimmy asked.

"To wash your cuts," Jonny said.

Jimmy said no more until they reached a little stream that he had never known existed in the forest.

"You can wash your hands and knees in this water!" Jonny said, sticking his own hand in as an example.

"But isn't this unsanitary? What if I get an infection?" Jimmy said, his voice soft.

"I drink from this stream all the time and I've never gotten sick! No one really comes in this part of the forest, so this little stream is always relatively clean. Besides, you can always disinfect the cuts when you get home."

Jimmy pulled his mouth to the side and nodded. It was true, he could do that. He went to sit by the stream and gently dipped his hands into it and cleaned himself. Then he cupped some of the water in his hand and cleaned his knees. With the blood washed off he realized his cuts weren't deep, and would most likely heal before he even made it home.

"Feel better?" Jonny asked.

"Lots!" Jimmy said, beaming at him. The two boys then stood up and Jonny walked back into the forest with Jimmy behind him. "Where are we going now?"

"I don't know."

"How did you find me?"

"I was just hanging around."

"I didn't realize how big this forest was before, you can really get lost in it."

"You sure can! If you don't know what you're looking for, all the trees can look alike! Even for people as experienced as Plank and I, sometimes I need to climb up on a tree in order to see where we are. You can't just come running in here by yourself."

"How do you know this forest so well?"

"Plank and I hang out here all the time! I know it better than the back of Plank's head!"

"Wow." Jimmy looked around the forest, not finding it as menacing with Jonny around. He could enjoy the birds chirping and the minimal rays of sunshine that did find their way to the forest floor. "I. Uh. I got lost in here because I wanted to be alone. The Eds played me for a fool again and I lost all my allowance in their farce. I was so embarrassed!"

Jonny chuckled. "Those guys are a hoot! Especially Eddy, always trying to pull a fast one on everyone. Gotta stay on your toes around him!"

Jonny continued to laugh and Jimmy pulled his mouth to the side. For some reason, he didn't feel like Jonny was making fun of him. The other kids in the cul de sac did laugh at him when he was tricked, and it hurt his feelings to have all the older kids think his naivete was a joke, as though they weren't made fools of themselves from time to time. But it seemed like Jonny was laughing at something else all together. Jimmy wasn't sure what, but he was grateful it wasn't at him.

"You know, one time, when Eddy tricked me, Rolf helped me get even with him! Do you want to help me this time?" Jimmy asked, skipping along so he was now beside Jonny.

"Why the heck would I want to do that?" Jonny asked.

"Because it be funny!"

"Mmm, I don't get it," Jonny said, shrugging after taking a moment to think about Jimmy's proposition. "Besides, they didn't do anything to me, it be mean of me to get them back."

"Think of it as a preemptive strike!"

"No thank you." Jonny suddenly stopped walking and turned to Jimmy with a bright smile. "We're back on the main trail! You just have to take it all the way down and you'll be back in the cul de sac!" he said, pointing in the direction Jimmy should take.

"Oh. What about you?"

"I'm going to stay here for a while longer."

Jimmy bit his lower lip. Sure he had Plank, but he couldn't imagine it being very fun to spend all day alone in the forest. "Why don't we go play together? Forget getting back at Eddy, let's go to my house and play!"

"I'm okay. I'll see you later, Jimmy."

Jonny turned around to leave and Jimmy raised his small fists to his mouth. He felt so lost and alone in the forest by himself, even if Jonny knew his way back to safety, he was certain he must feel the same way. "Wait, Jonny!" He ran after him, back into the thickest part. "Let's play together here then!"

"You want to play with me here?" Jonny asked, stopping in his track and turning around in time for Jimmy to bump into him and knock them both down.

"Owie," Jimmy said, rubbing his head and getting up on his knees. "Yeah! Let's play here! What do you do in the forest?"

Jonny had fallen on his bottom with his hands landing on the ground but never letting go of Plank. "Not much. Just explore, I guess."

"Then I want to explore too!" Jimmy held up two small fists, he was determined to spend time with Jonny.

"Well, okay then! Follow me!" Jonny stood and turned to walk deep into the forest again. Jimmy stood and grinned as he followed Jonny, excited to explore and the terror he felt earlier gone from his mind.

As the two boys and Plank played in the forest, Jonny helped Jimmy climb trees and learned which branches were sturdy and thus safe to perch on and which were dead and would break under their weight. When they came across a fallen, rotten tree, Jonny didn't hesitate to lift up a piece to reveal a world of creepy crawlies underneath. Jimmy yelped and stood back, his eyes filling with tears when Jonny walked over to him, a fat, furry caterpillar crawling around in his hands.

"It's not going to hurt you! Touch it. It's soft like a kitten," Jonny said, holding his hand out to his companion. Jimmy whimpered, but slowly he did gently touch the caterpillar, and he smiled when he realized it was soft. "Want to hold it?"

"No! No! No!" Jimmy said, shaking his head with each no. Petting was one thing, but holding was too much.

"Okay!" Jonny turned to leave the caterpillar where he found it and they continued exploring. They found a fairy ring in a clearing, and before Jonny stepped into it, Jimmy yelped and barred his way.

"What are you doing? You can't just step inside a fairy ring! It'll upset the fairies who sit on top of the mushroom heads when they have their very important council meetings here!"

"Oh really? I didn't know that! Did you Plank?" Jonny turned to his wooden best friend and after a moment said, "What do you mean, 'Duh!' You never told me this before!"

"We have to first ask for permission before we can step inside their ring and sit down," Jimmy said with a smile. He then turned to face the fairy ring and coughed to clear his voice. "Oh great fairies, nymphs, dwarves, and elves of the forest. We ask permission to sit in your circle so we may rest our weary feet! Please give us a sign that it's okay!" Jimmy spread open his arms and closed his eyes while he had a wide smile on his face. Jonny scratched his head and turned to Plank and shrugged. After a moment, a gentle breeze picked up and once it died down Jimmy clasped his hands together and turned to Jonny. "We have permission!"

Gently, without disturbing any of the mushrooms that formed the fairy ring, Jimmy and Jonny sat down and enjoyed the small clearing and the forest all around them.

"This is so much fun! I never realized how magical the deeper parts of the forest were! Maybe we can really find fairies, or a unicorn!" Jimmy said.

"Maybe? But I've never seen any."

"It's because you gotta believe in them, Jonny! That's half the battle!"

"Oh." Jonny nodded as though he understood and turned around. "I never knew I had to ask for permission before sitting in one of these rings. Or that fairies use the mushrooms as chairs! Maybe that's why I got so sick when I ate a mushroom in this other ring I found a few months ago," he said with a chuckle.

"You ate a wild mushroom? Jonny that's so dangerous!"

"I thought I had memorized the Urban Ranger guide book pretty well and could tell poisonous and safe mushrooms apart, but maybe not."

"Even if I know for a fact it's safe, a wild mushroom can still be dangerous because it's not properly washed and it can be covered with all sorts of gross bacteria!"

"I never thought about it like that, before," Jonny said, looking up and placing a finger on his lips. "Next thing you're going to tell me is that I shouldn't eat the berries I find in the bushes!"

"Yes! You should absolutely not eat wild berries from bushes!" Jimmy screamed, beyond worried that Jonny would poison himself and die in this forest all alone. "If you get hungry when you're in here, just pack a lunch!"

Jonny turned to Jimmy and smiled, but it was a strange one, like he knew something Jimmy didn't. In that moment Jimmy bit is lower lip, sad that Jonny seemed to be making fun of him after all, but then Jonny turned around and said, "I never thought of packing a lunch before, maybe I'll do that next time."

Jimmy's lower lip trembled, but he shook off the bad feelings and instead said, "Or better yet, I'll pack us a picnic!"

"Wow! Really?" Jonny gasped, turning back to him.

"Yeah! How charming! To have a picnic in a fairy ring! We can leave some goodies behind for the fairies so they don't get too sore with us for using their space!"

"That sounds like fun!"

"It does! Plus, it'll show Sarah not to pass me off on Ed! I can move on from her if I wanted to!" Jimmy smirked, excited to see Sarah's jealous face when he tells her he's got picnic plans with Jonny and not her.

"Oh. You can invite her too," Jonny said, feeling down that it seemed like their picnic was more a ploy for revenge than Jimmy wanting to genuinely hang out with him.

"No way! She'd just spoil all our fun! I much prefer spending time with you!" Jimmy said, reaching over and interlocking his fingers with Jonny. "To think, I climbed trees, touched a creepy crawly, and I'm sitting inside a fairy ring all in one day! I'm having a blast! Thank you, Jonny."

"You're welcome, Jimmy!" Jonny said, blushing slightly but happy he could rescue Jimmy's day. They sat and talking in the fairy ring until the air grew colder, meaning night was approaching, and though it wouldn't be impossible for Jonny to find their way out in the dark, it would be awfully inconvenient.

"Thank you fairies! Next time we'll bring snacks!" Jimmy said as he stepped out of the fairy ring and bowed deeply. Jonny followed suit and they were on their way back to the main trail.

"To be honest, I was having so much fun with you, I forgot why I ran into the forest to begin with. I'm not even angry at Eddy anymore," Jimmy said, his hands clasped in front of him.

"That's good. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by whatever it was he did. You know him and Ed and Double D are just a bunch of rad guys looking to have some fun."

"You describe them in such a charming light, I feel like you could see the good in even a stink bug!"

"Stink bugs are important! They feed on bugs that feed on crops!"

Jimmy giggled. Being with Jonny felt so light, like a cozy blanket in the dead of winter. He was so unlike Sarah, who was quick to anger and saw the negatives in everything. Jonny was always chuckling, happy to go with the flow and see the silver lining in every person and mishap. And while Jimmy felt safe with Sarah because she was strong and clever, he felt a different kind of security with Jonny that was just as wonderful. A security that anything bad that came his way could just roll off his back and not spoil his good time, and a security that the darkest part of the forest was actually a magical place filled with wonder and not evil, like he felt when he was all alone.

As Jonny and Jimmy found the main trail and walked down it to get back home, the Eds were at the entrance, exhausted from an entire day spent looking for their youngest neighbor.

"I'm going to get grounded," Ed whimpered, laying on the ground at the entrance of the forest.

"We looked everywhere, where could such a little guy go?" Eddy asked, sitting with his back against a tree.

"You don't think he actually got hurt in there, do you," Double D fretted, sitting beside Eddy with his legs crossed and looking into the forest.

"One can only hope at this point," Eddy said, throwing a pinecone across the way.

As the Eds quietly came to terms with the fact that they would have to ask an adult for help, they heard laughter come their way. They all turned and were washed with relief when they say Jimmy coming out of the forest along with Jonny and Plank.

"Jimmy!" Ed shouted, jumping up and running to him. He picked him up and spun him around before pulling him into a tight bear hug. "We were very worried about you, young man!" He chastised, wagging his finger at his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Jimmy said, hugging Ed back and squeezing him just as tightly.

"Does this mean you're not upset with us anymore!" Double D asked as he washed Jimmy's obvious display of affection towards Ed.

"Nope!" Jimmy said, smiling at them all as Ed put him down. "I actually had a wonderful day thanks to you three because I bumped into Jonny in the deepest part of the forest and we had so much fun!"

"Well then, if all's well that ends well, you won't be needing a refund then!" Eddy said, grinning and already walking backwards, away from everyone.

"Eddy," Double D reprimanded, his arms crossed.

"Yeah, yeah, fine whatever." Eddy rolled his eyes and walked to Jimmy and held out the dollar bill he scammed from him earlier that day. "Your refund, I guess."

"Thank you, Eddy!" Jimmy said, jumping towards him and wrapped his arms around his neck and giving him a tight hug.

"Hey, hey! It's your own money back, what's with all the cheer?" Eddy said, scowling, though he did put a hand on Jimmy's back.

Jimmy hopped back, his dollar in his hands and he grinned. "How's about this! Since the candy store is already closed, tomorrow I'll buy you all jawbreakers!"

"Are you serious!" Eddy asked, grinning.

"Yay! Jawbreaker for Ed!" Ed shouted, scooping Jimmy up on his shoulders and carrying him back to the cul de sac.

"Hey kid, have I ever told you how much I love ya?" Eddy asked as he followed behind them.

"Wow, it seems Jimmy really did have a good day with you in the forest if he's offering all of us a jawbreaker," Double D said, turning to Jimmy and smiling as they began to walk. "What did you two do in there?"

Jonny shrugged. "Explore."

"Well, it's a good thing Jimmy has such a good friend in you, Jonny! I felt just terrible when he ran off crying, and then when we couldn't find him! But you were really able to cheer him up!"

"I guess Jimmy and I are friends, huh?" Jonny said, not having really thought about it like that before.

"Of course you two are friends! You spent the day together. And you're in Urban Rangers together. You two tend to be our only customers for some of our business ventures. Sure seem like friends to me."

Jonny smiled at that. He and Jimmy were friends. Not just neighbors, but friends. They had all reached the cul de sac, where Ed put Jimmy down and he and Eddy were in a playful dispute over who deserves the other's jawbreaker.

"Oh dear," Double D said, walking away from Jonny and towards his friends as they began to rough and tumble along the street. "Gentleman! It's late! Can we please just relax!"

Jonny chuckled, always enjoying the Eds antics and always happy to see the three friends interacting with each other.

"Thank you again for the wonderful day, Jonny!" Jimmy said, walking towards him and pulling him in for a tight hug. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow to eat some jawbreakers! Goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Jonny said back, smiling and watching as Jimmy walked home. Once he was inside, the cul de sac was empty. Jonny sighed and looked up at the moon and stars. What a good day he had. He wandered into the woods with just his buddy Plank and came out with a new friend. He ran home, excited for bed so he could spend more time with his new friend tomorrow.


End file.
